The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Santal Soundtrack arrives in 2025 from Hawthorne's New York atelier, where founders Phil Wong and Brian Jeong have built a brand around stripping fragrance back to what matters: the scent itself. Working with perfumers Olivier Gillotin and Linda Song, the brand wanted a sandalwood that felt modern rather than reverential, one that could sit next to clean suede and warm musk without nostalgia or pretense. The name says it all: this is the volume knob, not the vintage record.
What makes Santal Soundtrack interesting is how it handles the classic sandalwood problem: that warm, almost buttery richness that can tip into 'grandfather's cologne' if you're not careful. Here, the sandalwood is Australian, cleaner, cooler, with a slight mineral edge that Hawthorne's team paired with smooth suede and cashmere musk. The sugar note is subtle, just enough to keep things from going austere. It's not a sandalwood for sandalwood lovers. It's for everyone else.
The evolution
The opening hits cool and immediate, suede arriving crisp, almost metallic before the sandalwood steps in. That first minute reads more atmospheric than sweet. Then the sandalwood warms up and the musk unfolds close to skin, turning the whole composition inward. The suede never fully disappears; it lingers underneath, giving the drydown a leather-adjacent warmth that outlasts the sandalwood's cream. Sugar threads through the middle act, barely there, just enough to keep it from going dry or austere. By hour three, you're left with a skin-close warmth, musky, faintly sweet, intimate. No projection to speak of at that point, just you and the scent. It wears well into evening after a full day.
Cultural impact
Santal Soundtrack slots into Hawthorne's growing catalog of compositions that prioritize wearability over performance art. Where other brands treat sandalwood as a heritage material requiring reverence, this 2025 release treats it as a building block, clean, contemporary, unburdened by expectation. The brand's streetwear-adjacent DNA shows in the restraint: no ostentation, no trying too hard. For men who want to smell good without it being a project, Hawthorne continues to deliver.
The House
HawthorneHawthorne is a New York-based men's fragrance brand founded by designer Phil Wong and his business partner Brian Jeong. The label emerged from a shared frustration with the traditional fragrance industry, where opaque pricing and intimidating retail environments often prevent men from exploring scent. Hawthorne takes a quiz-based approach to fragrance discovery, gathering information about the wearer's environment, personality, and preferences to recommend tailored options. The brand positions itself as an alternative to legacy houses and department store counters, offering gender-neutral scents that blur conventional boundaries. Their catalog spans bold statements like Studded Smoke and Desert Runway alongside quieter compositions like Mineral Wave and Green Cypress. The brand's DTC model and streamlined offerings reflect a broader philosophy: scent discovery should feel personal, not transactional.
The Creator
Olivier Gillotin & Linda SongOlivier Gillotin's signature style often leans into rich, warm, and comforting profiles, with a particular affinity for gourmand and oriental facets. He's adept at creating compositions that feel luxurious and enveloping, often employing a masterful use of vanilla, amber, and…
